Sound producing device or signal



June 8, 1937. c. G. HANNA 2,083,164

' SOUND PRODUCING DEVICE OR SIGNAL Filed April 5, 19:55

wwme 6 ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 8, 1937 UNi'lED smras new oFFicE This invention has for its object, sound producing devices as horns, or whistles, particularly for vehicles, and more especially for vehicles as automobiles, and the like, having internal combustion engines, and has for its object, a particularly simple and efiicient device operated by the suction, or vacuum, in the intake manifold of the engine, and by outer air controlled by a valve to break, when desired, the effect of the vacuum and cause the instrument to operate.

It further has for its object, a sounding device embodying a closed casing, and an expansible and contractile bulb member located in the casing and communicating with the horn, or whistle, and

expansible by the suction created in the casing, and contractible by opening the casing to the outer air by a suitable valve to break the vacuum and permit the bulb member to contract under its own resiliency, and force the air therein through the sounding instrument, as a horn, or whistle.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed. 7 In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which is a side elevation, partly in section, of a sounding instrument embodying this invention.

This sound producing instrument comprises generally, a closed, or air tight, casing for connection to a source of vacuum, as the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, a wind operated sounding instrument, as a Whistle, or a reed instrument, a member movable in the casing and operable to discharge air through the instrument, said member being retracted in one direction by the vacuum, and actuated forwardly at least partly to discharge air through theinstrument, by outside air breaking the vacuum. As shown, said member is an elastic, expansible and contractile bulb member within the casing and communicating with the instrument and operating, when permitted to contract under its own resiliency, and force air through the instrument, the casing also having a normally closed valve operable to open the casing to the outer air with suitable means for opening the valve.

l designates the casing which is preferably 50 spherical in general form and connected through a suitable pipe 2 to a source of vacuum, as the intake manifold of an engine.

3 designates a wind operated sounding instrument as a whistle, this being supported by the 55 casing.

4 designates an expansible and contractile bulb member mounted in the casing, it being here shown as a spherically concavo-convex, discoidal diaphragm with the concave side toward the whistle 3, and closed by a portion of the wall or the casing. This bulb member isusually formed of rubber.

In the illustrated embodiment of my instrument, the casing includes a body having an opening in one side which is closed by a flat closure 10 5, the whistle being mounted in the closure, and the member 4 being opposed to'the closure 5 and secured at its margin to the closure. Both the closure 5 and the expansible and contractible member, or diaphragm, are secured together at 5 their margins to the body of the casing I, in any suitable manner, as by fastening members or rivets 6. The closure, the bulb, or diaphragm, and Whistle, may be assembled as a unit and applied as a unit to the body'of the casing with the closure closing the opening in the body of the casing.

The casing is provided with a valve port 1 opening into the outer air which is normally closed by a'valve 8. As here shown, this valve is carried by a lever 9' pivoted at H! to the casing and operable to open it by suitable operator-operated means, it being connected by a suitable cord or wire II to an operating member, not shown, and located within convenient reach of the driver of the vehicle. The valve 8 is held in closed position by a spring I2 acting on the lever 9.

In operation, when the engine is running, the casing is in communication with the intake manifold of the engine and hence, the bulbous memher, or diaphragm 4 is expanded to substantially fill the casing. When it is desired to sound a signal, the valve port I is opened by shifting the lever 9 against the action of the spring I2, thus permitting air to enter the casing and break the vacuum therein so that the bulb 4 now collapses, or contracts under its inherent resiliency forcing the air through the whistle and sounding it. When the valve port 'I' is again closed by permitting thevalve to set, the action of the vacuum withdrawing the air from the casing, causes the elastic diaphragm or bulb 4 to be expanded under the influence of the atmospheric pressure passing retrogradely through the instrument 3.

What I claim is: 1. In a sound producing device operable by suction, the combination of a closed casing for connection to a source of vacuum, a wind operated sounding instrument, an elastic, expansible and contractible member in the casing and arranged,

to force air through the instrument, when contracting, said elastic member contracting under its inherent resiliency, and expansible in the casing by the action of the vacuum, the casing having a normally closed valve operable to open the casing to the outer air, and means for opening the valve.

2. In a sound producing device operable by suction, the combination of a closed, casing, spherical in general form, for connection to a source of vacuum, a wind operated instrument, an elastic bulbous diaphragm in the casing and arranged to discharge air through said instrument, said diaphragm being expansible and contractible and normally under tension to contract, and the casing having a normally closed valve operable to open the casing to the outer air, the valve and the instrument opening into the casing at opposite portions thereof on opposite sides of the diaphragm, and means for opening the valve.

3. In a sound producing device operable by suction, the combination of a closed casing for connection to a source of vacuum, the casing including a body having an opening in one side and a closure for said opening, a Wind operated sounding instrument mounted on the closure, a spherical, concavo-convex, elastic, expansible and contractible member in the casing and arranged with its concave side opposed to said closure and closed thereby, whereby, when contracting;

said member forces air through the instrument, the casing having a normally closed valve operable to open the casing to the outer air, said valve and said instrument communicating with the casing at opposite portions thereof on opposite sides of said member, and. means for opening the valve.

4. In a sound producing device operable by suction, the combination of a closed casing, spherical in general form, for connection to a source of vacuum, a Wind operated sounding instrument, an elastic, expansible and contractible member, spherical, concavo-convex in cross section, mounted in the casing, secured to the Wall of the casing, and arranged with its concave side toward said instrument whereby, when contracting, said member forces air through the instrument, the casing having a normally closed valve operable to open the casing to the outer air, said instrument and the valve communicating with the casing on opposite end zones thereof on opposite sides of said member, and means for opening the valve.

5. In a sound producing device operable by suction, the combination of a casing for connection to a source of vacuum, a wind operated instrument connected to the interior of the casing, a member in the casing operable by the vacuum to draw air into the casing and by air pressure when the vacuum is broken to expel air through the instrument, the casing having a normally closed valve opening thereinto on the opposite side of said member to that on which the wind operated instrument is located, the valve being operable at will to open the casing to the outer air to break the vacuum.

CHARLES G. HANNA. 

